I have recently returned to fly fishing after a very long absence and the technology improvements are amazing. One thing I have not been able to determine is the differences between a $15 WF line, a $45 line and a $65 line. Can a $65 line really be worth 4 times more than a $15 line? I have trouble believing it will catch more fish.
Regards, JW
JW -
Welcome to the Bulletin Board. And back to fly fishing.
Yes, there is a big difference in fly lines from the bottom of the price scale to the top of the price scale. A factor of FOUR in quality, maybe not, but definitely a noticeable difference. In castability and durability.
I haven’t used fly lines way down on the price scale because I have been able to find really good lines on sale or have opted for the higher priced lines on occasion. I know from what others have said along the way, that there are some very good lines out there for prices in the mid-range. Hopefully some of those folks will chime in on your question.
You could probably put on the cheapest fly line you can find and catch some fish while using it. For me, it is more a question of how much you want to enjoy your time on the water. The savings on a fly line may not offset the sacrifice in the fun factor you make while out fishing.
John
JW,
Trust me, even if you don’t know me, trust me when I say that there is all the difference in the world when it comes to bottom end compared to top end fly lines. But then I don?t know your casting level or what type of fly fishing you are going to be doing.
If there is doubt in your mind then buy the $15 line and go try it out. The worse that happens is you end up with a lousy casting line that you can then use as a practice line on the gravel or parking lot. You will be out the price of 4 coffees or so.
Then look around and buy a higher priced line, Rio makes some great lines, my personal favorite company, but then Scientific Anglers also makes some very good lines as well as Cortland. They are also all sponsors of FAOL. Buy a good quality line from them and do a side by side test. I think you will notice a big difference.
Larry 
—sagefisher—
JW, I’m a cheap…er, rather, thrifty individual (one son in college and another just two years away), so I don’t spend a penny I don’t have to. That said, there is a significant difference between the $15 line and the $45 line, and it is worth the extra money IMO. They simply cast so much better. Now I can’t say if the higher priced lines are worth the extra, because I’ve not gone there yet, but the mid-range I can definitely vouch for.
J.W. ~ no doubt there is a difference between a $15.00 line (is there still such a thing?), well, let me say $25.00 … and a $65.00/70.00 line? The question is, say, $40.00 of real difference between the twenty five and sixty five dollar lines …? (That is the question!) And, since this is a board for expressing one’s opinion (and experience), mine would be “no” … not $40.00 worth of real value between the two. Except, maybe, for snobbery value.
Dale
I regularly use lines in the $10-$15 range, and I haven’t bought a line that cost over $35 in years.
So my answer is no… a $65 line will not catch more fish.
I also don’t believe that a $65 line will last longer. I have a number of 333 lines that cost around $20 at the time I bought them 10-15 years ago (?) that are still going strong.
A lot of people compare the modestly priced 333 lines to the popular Sylk lines,
As for castability… I don’t know. I cast just fine with what I use and have no reason to try something else.
I suggest you check out the H&H lines (a sponsor). They are highly recommended by those that use them.
http://www.hookhack.com/flylines.html
JW - My system of choosing a fly line is fairly odd, but it works for me. I own lines that cost from $10.64 to over $60 (about 40 of them in all). I base the decision of what line to use on what I’m going to be doing with it. If I’m busting brush, and only casting short distances, odds are good that the $10.64 Scientific Anglers “Walmart Special” line will be used. Is it as slick as the more expensive lines? No. Doesn’t need to be for that purpose. It also gets dirtier quicker, which is a moot point for me as I clean my lines after every use with Zip Cast. This makes that cheap line feel embarassingly close in performance to the big buck lines! It is also very supple in cold weather, and if I damage it - no great loss.
If I’m casting longer distances, without question I choose Rio Grand, or Sci Anglers GPX. Those lines also work well on the stiffer rods I’ll be casting in that scenario. If I don’t know what type of fishing I’ll be doing, one of my favorite lines is Cortland “Peach” 444. Great all around line that is mid priced too (around $46). Hook & Hackle’s brand of line is made by Cortland and performs very much like that peach line. I even like the color better as well, and the price is VERY reasonable (around $35). One of my most expensive combos performs best with that H & H line - go figure.
Bottom line, price is NOT always a guarantee for what line will work and feel best to you on your rod of choice - there’s just too many other factors that have to be considered to make the line choice that is right for YOU. Updating to a better line isn’t necessarily a waste of money either, as you can use the cheap line as a backup, or for casting practice on the lawn. No wonder I have 40 some fly lines! The good news is, with a bit of care, they can last a very long time. 
Just my opinion I can not tell the difference in the high priced line versus the cheap line to make the difference between $65.00 and $15.00. I love my nothern sports $15.00 lines and have never had a problem with them. If you take care of a line it will cast just fine. I have tried the sage and rio lines and quite bluntly you can keep them. I will stay with my fly lines from nothern sports. I catch a fish or two and without a double haul can lay out a easy 50 ft of line. Just my 2 cents worth
Yep, there’s a difference. Yep I am a cheap bastid and buy my $60 plus line for 1/2 of retail, new off of Ebay. I guy great line and I buy it cheap. No one said that you have to pay list for it. I buy the stuff that lists at $60 or $65 for about $30. You can’t get it for that everyday, but if you watch and pick your bids, you will do well. I don’t even care if it is a discontinued line. If it retailed around that price point new, that is what I am after.
Now, on the Sharkskin, I won’t be buying any of that $100 line any time soon.
Rick
IMO - for most trout casting distances it won’t make much of a difference. Durability for my lowend lines seems to be about the same as the higher priced ones. Now maybe if you fish 150 days a year you may notice a difference durability.
If you typically need to cast over 50 ft. (like on the Main Delaware) then you’ll probably get better performance out of more expensive lines. Of course you could also apply zipcast to lower cost lines and you may get similar performance.
Also, take a look at recently discontinued models. For instance, Scientific Anglers has updated their GPX and the older version is being discounted at some online sites (e.g. Feather Craft for 34.95). You’ll also see other sponsor brands discounted there.
This is a hobby for gadgeteers. Experiment and have fun!
“Can a $65 line really be worth 4 times more than a $15 line?”
Yes, as it will most likely last 4 times longer, give you 4 times the control and cast 4 times better.
“I have trouble believing it will catch more fish.”
Lines cast the fly, they do not catch fish, fisherman catch fish.
I teach casting at a Casting Clinic, one of the first thing we explain & show our students is that a good line is more important to a good cast then a good rod is. A good line will, last longer, cast better, give you more control and make your fishing experience more enjoyable.
I am impressed with the quickness of your replies and appreciate the info. My $15 fly line is a WF5F from Bass Pro. I can shoot it 50 ft without too much trouble (that is all my back yard will allow) and, if I don’t screw up the mechanics, the loops are reasonable. I am intrigued with the idea of better control. Does this mean more accuracy, better mends, easier lift off the water? I just came back from a trip in the eastern Sierras and never found a spot that required more distance but I did have some trouble getting the line to separate from the water when I was wading and my mends seemed pretty ineffective.
I fish air cels and 333’s, they suit me just fine. But I have fished with premium lines before, and there is a difference…for me it was increased casting distance. But then I finally accepted that all the fish I am catching are within 20-30’ feet of me, and the difference didn’t seem that important.
Janus
I could not tell you personally if there is a big differnce;
BUT!
Two of my fishing buddies use the wally word fly lines and seem to really like them.
They say they outlast some brand name lines, and even cast better.
These two old farts have tried a lot of diffrent types of lines in there lifetime.
For the price they say you can’t go wrong.
I myself am seriously thinking of picking one or two up to give them a try.
chris
I agree with Harley Bob about the Northern Sport line. I have several of these in diffeent weights and I think that they are superior to Cortland’s 333 or 555. Also I like them better than my Rio line. For the price (under 10 bucks) you can’t go too far wrong.
Tim
There it is in a nutshell, if you are having trouble lifting the line from the water and mending then your fly line is not floating like it should! IMHO if you bite the bullet and buy a Rio Grand you will find that problem dissapears as the Rio floats high all day every day and is worth the extra cost.
As for catching more fish? If you cant mend then your drag is increased and as we all know Drag = no fish, proper drift = more fish.
Just my 2c.
All the best.
Mike.
Very well said, and true…
I started with Scientific Anglers lines both wet and dry. Mostly 5wt. I Didn’t know how good they were till I bought a $20.00 line from somewhere. After about 10 minutes casting it I scrapped it. The difference was very noticeable. So I have stuck with what works for me.
Having said that I have to add that James Castwell made me try the new Sharkskin line. I was reluctant to try it because I knew if I liked it as well as some of my friends did that I’d have to have it.
Holy cow did I ever love casting it. It is noisy, so they say, but I am mostly deaf so who cares about that. It casts well for me so much so that I did notice a difference. They also say that it lifts off the water better than other lines. I don’t know about that because there was no water around where we were casting. Is that worth $100.00? I don’t know. I think so but alas I have other things I need to buy first. I’m asking Santa for a 5wt Sharkskin. Do I need it? No I do not!
I have almost no use for a longer cast than I can now easily do. I just want it, so there.
One big difference to my fly lines has already been mentioned and that is Zipcast. This stuff really works! They are a sponsor of faol as well.
I noticed that my flylines seems to be more supple after I Cleaned them with Zipcast and cast better in my opinion.
Good thread by the way.
I would never buy a line that costs $65 bucks. Not because it is not worth it, but because I step on my line, I don’t clean my line, and leave it in the sun. What I mean is no matter what you spend, if you don’t take care of it, it will not last long, float, or perform well. Spend what you can because if you can keep it forever and you can justify the cost it will be worth it.
The ABSOLUTE truth!!
I bought the best lines available since I began fly fishing. I never did anything but fish with them until they all but disintegrated from use and abuse.
A few years ago when I fell in love with a particular line, I decided it was time to start protecting my investment by taking care of the lines I owned and the new ones I planned to buy. I now clean them after EVERY outing and the difference in performance between a line that is cared for and one that isn’t, [u]even at the $65 price point[/u] is amazing!
While I can’t say for sure that just cleaning and caring for them has made them BETTER; I do know that they float & shoot 1000 times better and continue to do so years after I purchased them. The also seem to be holding up a lot better than they did when I wasn’t so fastidious.
Color aside; if a good line is measured by:
[ul]How it works with a particular rod[/ul]
[ul]How it handles[/ul]
[ul]How well it floats/sinks[/ul]
[ul]How well it holds up to use[/ul]
Then a GREAT line is one that does all four well for YOU in YOUR situation!
Well, if you heed Loufly’s advice and take care of what you got, even at the low end of the price range; you can almost guarantee that you can maintain or improve some of the qualities you desired in the line when you bought it.
But if you fish with “miracle line$” and don’t spend a little time to take care of them…
…don’t expect miracles. 